Surviving the impossible
by xxKLxx
Summary: The dark lord requires her to conceive a child. The problem is, she is a prisoner. Hermione, Draco, Set during the war, No return to Hogwarts, Ron/Hermione, Survivor, Redemption, Imperius curse, Harry/Ginny. TRIGGER WARNING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT!
1. Chapter 1

**MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING. **

**This explores sexual assault in a very raw manner. There are no full on descriptive scenes (They were removed) apart from one which had to be that way to get a full picture of what is going on. **

**Please do not read if you are sensitive to sexual and physical assault.**

**This isn't a creepy rape fetish thing. This is a story that will explore the aftermath of that. So please don't comment, telling me that I'm a creep or whatever. You're choosing to read on despite this warning. **

**I do not own this concept, but these are my words. **

**Enjoy. **

()()()

Hermione heard the lock click; a sound she had gotten used to in a place where the only noise she could hear was the dripping of the toilet beside her bed.

She sat up, straining her eyes in the dark, preparing for the light that she knew would penetrate into her skull and burn at her retinas.

"Here's your food you filthy mudblood. Things are about to change around here so you better gather your strength" came the voice of a random death eater. She didn't know his name but recognised his voice as one of the regulars.

Every day was different. Some days it would be a death eater who was tasked with bringing her food, sometimes Narcissa herself would levitate a tray to her and a few times, Draco had done it.

In the dim light of the rusty lantern she was given, she looked to the stone wall beside her bed. She had started a tally on day seven to keep track of how long she had held captive for and with the rock she had used to create the others, she marked her 25th day of imprisonment.

The food was barely tolerable. Almost like the scraps from the breakfast table where the Malfoys ate. It was enough to sustain her, but never to satisfy her hunger. She thought back to before she was taken by the snatchers and scoffed at the idea that she, Harry and Ron thought they were hungry back then. She thought about the mushroom soup that she used to make for the boys and envisioned the three of them sitting by the bottled blue flame in the tent, sipping their soup, planning their next adventure.

She hoped beyond hope that they got away, that the snatchers only caught her, and that Harry and Ron managed to escape somehow. Despite her initial pleas, no one had told her a single thing. She had been tortured for information upon her arrival at Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix had used a cursed blade to spill her blood and carve the work 'mudblood' on her arm, but Hermione did not relent. She gave them nothing. She refused to tell a soul about the horcruxes or about the sword of Gryffindor.

She ate the toast crusts and sipped the warm water that smelt like it may have had a used tea bag dunked in it a few times, wondering what the death eater meant when he told her things were about to change. The idea that she may have a reprieve from this isolated dungeon was like music to Hermione's ears. That she should gather her strength was concerning though. She hadn't had much opportunity to do so, with limited food and very little space to do anything physical.

She picked the last crumbs of food off her place and licked it clean. It seemed to have been the dirty plate of someone else because despite having not been given bacon and eggs, she could taste remnants of egg yolk and bacon in the juices that remained. Once upon a time, the thought would have disgusted her. Now though, she would take what she could get.

She slid her plate under the bars of the iron door and waited for someone to return. No one ever really spoke to her and certainly no one ever ventured into her room. The tray was always placed just under the bars without a word being spoken and the person would just leave. Sometimes she would sense hesitation in the way that they turned, especially in Narcissa. She seemed to fight some inner demon and had, on a couple of occasions, left something extra, like half a muffin or an extra-large crumb from a cake.

Hermione stood and stretched her arms upwards. Her hands touched the moist ceiling and she recalled them quickly. The sat on the edge of the metal framed bed and was grateful that she was at least given a mattress. Thin as it may be, it was still better than what she had slept on for the first week. The stone floor was as uninviting now as it was when she was thrown in the room and bounced off the floor, bloody and bruised.

It must have been morning, because she was only ever fed in the mornings. Despite this, she laid on her bed and closed her eyes, wishing for sleep to come. It rarely did.

She had recited all the names of the potions she could remember and listed their ingredients in her head when the outside lock clicked again. She sat up, not expecting anyone to be coming to her. She had already been fed. Why was someone coming for her now? Was this the change the death eater was talking about?

She squinted towards the lighter part of the dungeon where the door stood, preventing her from leaving and waited to see who would enter.

She was relieved to see the younger Malfoy enter, as he had never had the occasion to belittle or degrade her. She had thought that since her arrival, he had seemed different. Less harsh perhaps.

She sat back on her bed and watched, as his fingers felt for the lock and opened the iron door. That door hadn't been opened in weeks. She sat with her mouth open, surprised to see that it did. Her mind had, at some point, convinced her that the door was broken and would never open.

As Draco entered the stone room, he looked around and screwed up his nose.

"Do you know why I'm here?" he asked her.

She tried to speak, but her voice hadn't been used in such a long time. She cleared her throat.

"No" she answered, looking to him for a clue.

"Don't look at me" he spat, making her jump. She looked at the floor, at his feet. He had shiny black shoes on and his trousers were perfectly long enough that they rested just at his ankles. She noticed his laces were tied perfectly symmetrical and there was not a single mark on his shoes.

"The dark lord requires you to produce a child" he said.

She looked up at him in shock. A child? How? When? Surely not in here?

"I said don't look at me" he spat again, stepping closer to her, forcing her to retreat against the cold wall.

"I don't understand" she said, her voice small and timid.

"Undress" he commanded. This was not the Draco Malfoy she expected. He had always been cruel, he had always teased her, tripped her, cursed her and hated her, but this… This was something she didn't think he was capable of.

"Undress? What do you mean?" she asked.

"For someone so bright, you're certainly very stupid. Take off your clothes and lay on the bed" he demanded.

"What? You're going to rape me?" she asked, not able to retreat any further as he stepped closer.

"As I said, the dark lord requires you to produce a child. He wants that process to begin now. If you don't willingly participate, I am to force you to" he said, grabbing her by the front of her shirt.

He was quick and he was rough and when he was done, she didn't look at him or even hear him leave as she curled up into the foetal position and closed her eyes.

What could have been a few hours later, she woke to the sound of a pop in her cell. An elf stood at the side of her bed, holding what looked to be some kind of robe. The elf looked to be incredibly sad and forlorn as she handed the clothes to her.

"Young master wishes for his prisoner to bathe" the elf said, clicking its fingers so a tub appeared at the opposite side of the room.

Hermione winced in pain as she stood up from the bed, still clutching the sheet around her naked body. She felt the wetness between her legs as she stepped towards the tub and wondered if it was blood or semen but then decided she didn't care to find out.

Hermione stepped into the tub which was surprisingly filled with warm water. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend that she was at home, at her parents' home, in her tub with a book. The stinging from between her legs reminded her that she was not, and suddenly, the idea of a bath was not as comforting as it once might have been.

She quickly washed, dried and dressed in the clothes that the elf provided her. She was not given underwear and thought that this must be a sign that today was just the beginning. This wasn't going to stop. It was only going to get worse.

That night, she was given an actual meal. A sausage and a small pile of mashed potatoes on a plate was slid under a door by a death eater who seemed to be laughing under his breath.

"What? What is so funny?" she demanded, anger coursing through her body.

"Here's your food. Be ready for tomorrow" he said, and he turned and left through the door which clicked as he locked it.

She ate her food, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

()()()

When tomorrow came, she woke and marked the 26th day of her imprisonment on the wall, before turning and sitting on the edge of her bed. She was still sore from the day before and tears filled her eyes at the thought of what had happened. She heard about girls being raped, she knew it happened, but somehow, she always felt that being a witch meant that it would never, could never happen to her.

Her breakfast came with a click of the lock and a slide of the tray under the bars and she was shocked to see that there was an actual fried egg on the plate with an entire piece of toast and a small piece of bacon.

"What is this?" she asked the random death eater.

"You're too thin" he said, before leaving.

She ate the food greedily, in minutes and pushed the tray back under the door. Her stomach seemed to have shrunk, because with that small meal, she found herself feeling quite full.

She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes, exhausted from the meal and a night of restless sleep.

She was woken later that day by the sound of the lock clicking and footsteps approaching.

"Clothes off mudblood" came the voice of the laughing death eater from the night before. She panicked and covered herself with the blanket.

"I won't say it again" he said, entering the iron barred door and yanking the blanket off of her.

"No, please I can't. I'm still… I haven't recovered from yesterday" she said, unable to fathom the idea of someone doing that to her again, so soon.

"I don't care. I do what the dark lord tells me to do and right now, he wants someone to come in here every day until you can produce a child" he said, feeling like a slap to the face for Hermione.

She froze, not able to comprehend what he had told her. Someone would be in here, everyday? Surely not?

She was brought out of her thoughts with a backhand to the face that made her roll almost off the bed.

"Clothes off" he demanded.

It was worse that the day before, if it was possible. The pain of having her virginity taken was amplified by the fact that she was still in so much pain.

He was also quite violent, having choked her to stop her sobbing, then slapped her across the face again when he was done, leaving a mark from a ring that he wore.

A new robe appeared at the end of her bed and she used the cold bath water and her tattered robe to clean herself before curling up into a ball and going to sleep.

The days that followed were a repeat of the ones previous. The food was better, but the animals that visited her became more and more disgusting. On the fourth day, she was raped by Lucius Malfoy himself, who did not speak, did not touch her unless he had to, and got the job over and done with quickly.

It became like routine. Breakfast, sleep, rape, sleep, dinner, sleep. Sometimes the elf would bring her new robes if they had been torn or had become too dirty. She had been given a small sink with a tap so she could wash, however, it only had cold water.

On the 33rd day of her imprisonment, Draco Malfoy returned.

"Just get this over with, Malfoy" she spat when he entered the room.

He seemed to take it easier on her than the rest. He wasn't violent or purposely cruel. But still, he raped her. That was all it took for him to be just like them.

When he asked her if she had been a virgin prior to her being here, he became angry and confused when she said she was.

"Fucking hell, you should have said something" he said, pacing back and forth after he had finished with her.

"What did you want me to do? Say, hey sicko, can you go easy while you're raping me, I'm still a virgin" she said.

"Yes, exactly fucking that" he said.

"The others. You don't like them?" He asked.

"I don't like any of you" she said.

"But they're violent?" he asked.

"You've got no fucking idea" she spat.

She rolled her eyes as she hastily put her dress back on.

"I'll keep them away" he said, leaving through the iron doors.

She laid in her bed and closed her eyes. For some reason, the conversation she had just had, made her more angry than when she was raped by a death eater who liked to slap her or the one who liked choking her till she almost passed out. So far, there had been a couple who had been twice and a couple who been once. The ones who visited more than once were the ones she feared the most, they were the ones who seemed to have some anger issues to resolve and used her as a punching bag.

Malfoy had not kept to his word, as the following day, the death eater who liked to choke her was the one to visit. She must have blacked out at some point because she didn't remember it ending and when she came to, she was in a heap on the floor.

The days were agonising and by the time Malfoy returned for the third time, she was ready to give up. She had been choked, beaten and cut with a knife.

"I got married" he said, as if he were there for a friendly visit

"Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be with your wife?" she hissed at him.

"I'm just telling you. I said I would keep them away, and I didn't. Because I got married. Not by choice" he said.

"You almost look sad" she said.

"I'm not" he said as he forced himself on her. She didn't resist, didn't fight. By now, it was just another aspect of her day and if it was Malfoy, then at least she would be beaten.

"My wife is unable to have children" he said after he was done and put his pants back on.

"And that's where I come in?" she asked.

"I don't know what the dark lord's plans are" he said.

"Well, if you're planning on forcing me to conceive a child and take it as your own, why all the others? What is the goal here?" she asked, sitting up on the bed.

"Fuck Granger, I don't know. I just do what I'm forced to do" he said, running his hand through his hair.

"Forced?" she asked.

"Told. Told to do" he said.

"Are you imperiorised?" she asked.

"Would it make a difference if I was?" he asked

She contemplated this.

"I guess not. You're still one of the sick fucks who visits me daily to rape me" she said.

"You need to stop. Just deal with it. It's going to happen. The more you resist, the harder it will get. Look at your face for fucks sake. That's what happens when you resist. Just let them get on with it" he said.

"You're not as smart as you look Malfoy. You think I'm all placid with you and just fighting the dirty old men off? I don't do a single thing. They beat me regardless" she said.

"That's not what they say" he said.

"Well they're rapists. You want to know what really happens? She asked, and she told him about one of the more brutal experiences she had had over the last few days where she was beaten then almost strangled to death.

"That's not… This isn't what this was supposed to be" he said.

"You're so fucking stupid Malfoy. They're given free access to me. To rape me and to torture and abuse me however they want. No repercussions, no fallout, no rules and no one to dob on them. They do whatever they want to me. I'm a piece of meat to them and when they get bored with raping me, what next? I'll die down here before your precious Dark Lord gets his torture baby" she said, putting her clothes on and laying down, covering herself with her tattered blanket.

No one came for her the next day.

On day 39 she sat in her cold damp cell after breakfast, waiting for the click of the door. She had her clothes off before the death eater had opened the iron bars. She was now convinced that if she was naked and standing beside her bed, she could easily comply with their demands and they were less likely to hurt her.

Despite her compliance, this was by far the worst one yet. He yelled at her as he assaulted her, telling her how Malfoy had threatened him and gotten him into trouble for hurting her. He told her that she hadn't seen pain yet and then showed her exactly how bad it could be, in every way possible, before he smacked her so hard that she passed out.

When she woke, she was fully clothed in her bed. A wound on her head had been cleaned and dressed and her blanket was new. She wondered briefly if she had been rescued but when she noticed the iron bars and the two trays of food at the bottom, she realised she was still in her hell.

By the looks of the food, she had slept through dinner and it was now breakfast. She marked day 40 on her wall.

She ate both trays of food as she was starving and sat on her bed, awaiting the inevitable.

A few hours later, like clockwork, the lock clicked and in walked Malfoy.

"You're not pregnant yet" he said to her.

"How kind of you to oblige me with that information" she said, guessing someone had brought a healer to see her.

"Look, Granger…" he said.

"You don't have to say or do anything. Just get on with it so I can go back to enjoying my day" she said.

"You can enjoy this" he said.

"I will never enjoy this" she said.

"No, I mean, you can enjoy this. I can make you enjoy this" he said.

"I don't think so" she said.

He looked over her for a moment before stepping towards her.

"Lay down" he said.

She obliged.

He knelt at the end of her bed and parted her legs. She turned to look at the familiar spot on the wall that she had since carved into a wand, bracing herself for him to climb up her and take away another piece of her. She almost lept off the mattress when she felt his tongue on her.

She knew he was trying to prove something, to make himself appear as different to the scumbags that would hit her and choke her and cut her with knives, but while he was doing this against her will he would always be…..

Her thoughts left her as his tongue pressed against a place she didn't know existed. She wanted to push him away, in fact, she tried, but he wandlessly tied her hands to the head of the bed. He continued, and her body jolted, like it had been shocked. She felt something inside of her change. She tried to resist, but her body was begging her to let it happen. Her breathing increased and she felt a strange warmth spread all throughout her body. She felt like a piece of string that was wound up tight and he was trying to undo her with his mouth. Her mind tried to tell her how wrong this was, how much she didn't want it, but her body was climbing, building, reaching for that place she knew by instinct would be there. Just when she thought she might reach it, he stopped and moved to quickly thrust himself inside of her. She was caught in the moment of what she thought must be pleasure. It felt like she wanted it to go on, to keep building, to get to a crescendo, and it seemed like he was desperate to make that happen. But still… she was being raped.

Even though she hated it, she hated him, she didn't want this, she was feeling good. He touched her new found sensitive spot with his thumb as he continued and within moments, that string snapped, she had built higher than she thought she could and now she peaked at the height of her first orgasm, which she rode out with cries of both pleasure and torment.

He came within seconds of her and untied her hands. As he stood and pulled on his pants, Hermione laid there, unsure of what to think.

He had just made her _enjoy_ being raped. Had he? _Had_ she enjoyed it? Her body certainly seemed to react to what he was doing and, ordinarily, she guessed it would be a thing she would like.

"See, you can enjoy it" he said. Bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I didn't _enjoy_ that, Malfoy" she said.

"I felt it. Your body liked what I did" he said.

His words were almost worse than the act itself. Her body betrayed her, and he was rubbing it in her face.

"The dark lord wants me to have an heir. He doesn't seem to like how you're being treated, now that he is aware… so he has put a stop to the rest of them coming down here" he said.

"Wow, how wonderful" she said sarcastically.

"It doesn't have to be this way" he said.

"How should it be? I'm in a fucking dungeon, being raped daily by a gang of mad men and their little protégé so I can get pregnant and give the baby over to you… and then what? What happens then? I outlive my usefulness and then what Malfoy?" she yelled, still overcome by the rush of confusion, adrenaline and things she couldn't place, that were driving her fearlessness.

"I don't know. Ok. I have no idea. I didn't want this. I didn't ask for this. I am being forced to do this just as much as you are. I don't want to hurt you. If I have to do this, I want to make it feel good for you" he yelled. "I will _try_ and make it feel good for you" he said, quieter.

"Well poor little you, had to rape me against your will. I guess we're both victims now, but hey, at least you can say you made me _feel good_" she said, turning over in her bed and facing the wall.

"Granger… please… I'm trying. I got them to bring you more food, I got them to bring you that tub and the sink. Come on, I'm trying to make this as bearable as possible" he said.

"You know what? Next time you want to make this _bearable_, don't do it in a dirty dungeon. If you want me to have your heir, to get pregnant and give you my child, I want some fucking dignity back. I want to be treated like a fucking human being and I want a proper bed, a proper bathroom and some real clothes. I'll let you _rape_ me Malfoy, Merlin knows, this has become my life now, but this place is fucked. I'll kill myself before I have a child in here" she yelled.

He made to retort, but she cut him off, "Go...! Leave!".

And he did.

()()()

She didn't see or hear from anyone for days. She had marked off day 44 as her stomach made noises. She hadn't eaten in 5 days.

She couldn't do anything apart from lay in her bed and mark off the days. The darkness seemed to penetrate her very soul and dive deep within her body. It was almost as though there were a hundred dementors in her little dungeon room. There was no reason to continue breathing and for a moment, she felt like if she just held her breath long enough, she might pass out and not wake up.

She wasn't so lucky.

That night, the locks clicked, but she didn't have the energy to lift her head up to see who was there.

"Get up, you're being moved" she heard Malfoy say.

"I think I'll just lay here till I die" she said, barely able to make out the words.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, looking around.

"I'm going to die here Malfoy, aren't you happy?" she asked, rolling onto her back.

"Well I arranged for you to have a room" he said.

"Let me guess, right beside you and your wife, so you can lay beside her after being with me?" she said.

He picked her up with a hand under her back and knees and walked her out of the room. She hadn't been out of there in almost 2 months. He climbed a set of stairs with her and walked through several rooms and down several hallways before pushing open a door with his foot.

"Here, lay down, I'll get an elf to come look at you" he said, placing her on the large soft bed. She wanted to sink into the depths of it. It felt like heaven.

"I'm fine. I'm just weak Malfoy. I haven't eaten in days" she said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You said you made arrangements for me to have more food. I yelled at you. You stopped the food. Consider your punishment served" she said.

"That's not… I didn't… I haven't been here. I had to do something away from the Manor" he said.

"Well, tell whoever is responsible for me that they almost killed me" she said, rolling over and closing her eyes.

"Don't go to sleep, I'll have some soup brought to you" he said.

"Whatever" she moaned and closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

When she woke, it was to the smell of food nearby. She opened her eyes and they strained against the light.

"I'll turn it off" came a familiar voice.

In the dim light, she could make out the surroundings of what appeared to be a hospital ward.

"You're at St Mungo's my dear. Everything is going to be ok" came the soothing voice of Molly Weasley.

"What happened? How did I get here?" she asked.

"Young mister Malfoy brought you in a few days ago" she said.

"Days?" she asked.

"You've been out for a while my dear. A lot has happened" Molly said.

"Malfoy brought me here?" she asked.

"Yes, dear. Voldemort was defeated and all those who were acting under his imperious were released. As soon as Voldemort fell, Draco disapparated with Ron. We all thought something was amiss, but then he scooped you up in a room at his house and brought you here with Ron" she said.

"Malfoy was under the imperious?" she asked.

"For quite some time I'm afraid. He is quite weak" she said.

"Voldemort is dead?" Hermione asked after a pause.

"Yes dear" Molly said.

"Harry and Ron?"

"They're ok"

"What happened? We were hunting…" she began, but Molly cut her off.

"I think its best you wait for them to arrive so you can talk" she said.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she remembered was being in the dungeon cell and Malfoy paying her another of his visits. She remembered yelling at him and experiencing pains of hunger but that was all.

Her body felt heavy and weak and she felt a losing battle against her closing eyes.

"It's ok my dear, just sleep" Molly said.

"Hermione, Merlin, you're ok" came Ron's voice, waking her from a sleep she didn't know she was having. She didn't remember falling asleep, just the feeling of her heavy eyes closing, against her will.

"Ron?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it's me, I'm here" he said from a spot on her bed near her feet.

"Harry?" she asked.

"I'm here Hermione" Harry said from a chair beside her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We looked for you, I swear we tried to get you" Ron said, his eyes filled with tears.

"Just another thing to find" she said.

"No, you were number one to us. When they snatched you, me and Ron got separated for a while and… well, it was rough, but we managed to get the last few horcruxes" Harry said.

"Separated? How?"

"We just disapparated to different places. Had no way of making contact. Ron went back to Bill and Fleur's, but I had no idea where that was, so I just, sort of stayed at different places. Went back to Grimmauld place, which was safe" he said.

"Yaxley wasn't there?" she asked.

"Not even a sign of anyone having entered" he said.

"Well, that's a shame. All that camping for nothing" she said.

The room was silent for a moment.

"What happened to you Hermione?" Ron asked quietly.

"I was taken to Malfoy Manor. I… It was a few weeks… and then… I guess, Voldemort wanted an heir or something" she said, uncertain of how to tell her two best friends that she was brutally raped every day for weeks on end by a vast range of death eaters, including both Lucius _and_ Draco Malfoy.

"An heir? What do you mean by that?" Ron asked, always the last one to catch on.

"I don't think Hermione needs to tell us if she doesn't feel up to it Ron. It sounds like she has had a rough time" Harry said.

"Rough time alright" she said, trying to sit up in her bed.

"Here, I'll help" Ron said, moving quickly to adjust her pillows. The quick movement frightened Hermione and she froze, closing her eyes. "It's ok Hermione, it's just me" Ron said with his hand on her shoulder.

"I know, just… I can't... please… it's not your fault, just don't touch me. Just yet. I can't…" she said, trying to tell him that the last thing she wanted was for someone to touch her anywhere, without hurting his feelings.

"Ok, that's ok. I won't…" Ron said, putting his hands up in front of him and retreating back to where he sat at the end of her bed, with concern etched deep within his features.

"This isn't going to be easy. People will know what happened to me. Everyone is going to look at me just the way you're looking at me now" she said.

"Hermione, terrible, terrible things happened to you" Harry said.

"You don't know the half of it Harry" she said, tears pooling in her eyes.

"And until you're ready, no one will" he said, looking to Ron and noticing the confused look on his face. "No one has to" he added.

"Thanks, I appreciate that" she said. "I suppose, I'll be quite jumpy for a while and need some… I don't know... some time, to feel normal again" she said.

"Oh Godric, Hermione, there you are, what the hell happened to you" came the rushed voice of Ginny Weasley who ran into the room and threw herself at Hermione.

"GINNY! You can't do that! You can't frighten Hermione like that. Don't you know what she's been through?" Ron bellowed, causing the whole room to stop.

"Ron, I'm her best friend" Ginny said, sitting on the bed at Hermione's side.

Hermione was frozen once again, hands in her lap, clasped together, looking down at her knees.

"Merlin, they really did a number on you, didn't they? Look at your face. That will take some time to heal" Ginny said.

"It's not my face I'm concerned about" she said, wondering if the pieces of her broken soul might ever mend.

"Hermione, what happened? Where were you? Ron said you were missing and that he found you at Malfoy Manor" Ginny said.

"You found me?" Hermione asked Ron.

"Well, sort of, I guess" he said.

"It's a completely long story, basically Voldemort was defeated and a few of the death eaters who were there at the time seemed to sort of snap. They surrendered immediately and claimed to be imperiorised…" Ginny began.

"Malfoy came running to me in a right state. I thought he was going to curse me, so I drew my wand. He just grabbed my arm and said your name then disapparated. We arrived in a room and you were just laying on a bed, all dirty and pale. I picked you up and brought you here" Ron said.

"And Malfoy?" she asked, swallowing. "I suppose he took off?" she asked.

"He's here" Harry said.

At this, Hermione's eyes widened, and she pulled the blanket up to her chest.

"Here?" she asked, looking around the room and to the door.

"Well, not here, here, he's in a ward for those who were imperiorised. He's having quite the difficult time coming to terms with the whole thing" Harry said.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I've been keeping an eye on him. He rescued you as soon as he was released from the imperious and brought you here. I wanted to know what happened. You weren't waking up and he was the only one who could give me answers" Harry said.

"And did he? Give you answers?" she asked, knowing that they probably know the extent of her torture.

"He said a lot of things. Mostly he wanted to see you and see that you were still alive. He kept apologising. He's really quite unhinged" Harry said.

"So you know then. What happened to me?" she asked.

"I… I couldn't believe it Hermione. Its… We failed you. We should have done more to find you. We should have come for you as you would have done for me" Harry said.

"Harry… you defeated Voldemort. If I had to go through what I went through in order for the wizarding world to be free from that… to prevent what happened to me from happening to muggle born's everywhere, then isn't it worth it?" she asked.

"NO! Nothing is worth that Hermione" Ron burst out.

"What am I missing here? What happened to you Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"You haven't been told?" Hermione asked.

"I have been getting kept out of the loop" Ginny said, glaring at Harry.

"For good reason" Ron spat.

"My safety isn't in danger anymore" Ginny said quietly, emotion evident on her face as Harry refused to look in her direction.

"I don't think now is the time, but soon… I promise I will tell you everything" she said.

"Good enough for me" she said. "I suppose I ought to go. Mum's making the arrangements for Fred" she said.

"Fred?" Hermione asked.

"Uh… yes. Hermione, there was quite a battle and loads of people… people died" Harry said.

"Fred?" she asked, receiving a nod from Ron.

She then did something she didn't think she would ever do, and that was lean forward onto her knees and bring Ron into a hug from where he sat at the end of her bed. It felt foreign, like, if he touched her, she might break, but after bracing herself for a few moments, Ron's arms around her felt warm and comfortable. He felt safe. Maybe she would be ok after all.

"I'm so sorry Ron" she said, releasing him and returning to her place on the bed. His face was red, and he wore a small smile. "Here I've been talking about poor me and your entire family is suffering. How is George? Oh, and Molly, she was here earlier worrying about me" Hermione said.

"It's like mum said. We can't do anything about Fred. He's… he's gone, and we can't save him, but we can save you Hermione" Ron said.

Hermione just looked at him with admiration in her eyes. He was experiencing the most incredible pain, yet here he was, at her side, trying to comfort her. She thought she might have lost the capacity for warmth and love, but the feelings that had begun to grow for Ron before the war were now returning at full force.

It was only early days, but she could see a future.

()()()

A few days later, Hermione woke in the middle of the night from a nightmare in which she relived a rather brutal visit from a nasty death eater. She opened her eyes and looked around the room, trying to centre herself, trying to remind herself that she was here, and she was safe and no one could hurt her now.

She had spent time with a mind healer who had given her some things to try if she ever experienced flashbacks or nightmares. So far, they were sort of working.

She reached for a glass of water, but it was empty, so she got up out of bed and did the thing she had yet to do; leave her room. She opened the door and looked up and down the hall. Realistically, she knew she was safe. She was in a hospital where there were security guards and doctors and nurses all looking out for her.

She held her wand in her hand, having not let it out of her reach since she had fully regained consciousness, and pushed the door open completely, stepping out into the hall. She knew the water station couldn't be far, because every time someone went to get some, they hadn't taken long at all.

She crept down the hall and looked into each of the rooms, searching for a sign of something out of the ordinary. She found the water station and began filling a jug to take back to her room. It was almost full when she heard someone approach from behind.

As she turned to face them, the jug slipped out of her hand and her wand few up faster than ever at the sight of Draco Malfoy standing in the corridor in front of her.

"I understand if you want to kill me" he said, his face paler than usual and his eyes bloodshot.

"Give me a reason not to" she demanded, feeling the spilt water pooling at her feet.

"I… I can't. I deserve it" he said, tears falling form his eyes.

She held her wand higher, taking a step back from him. He was not the cool, calm, confident Malfoy that had been assaulting her for two months. This Malfoy was broken and empty. Nevertheless, this was the person who raped her. Who forced himself upon her, against her will. Who forced her to feel something that she didn't understand.

"You need to leave" she said.

"I need to die. Please… I can't live with myself" he said, now sobbing like a child.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked.

"I… I don't know. I can't live with what I've done to you" he said.

"Stop it. Just stop!" she yelled, as he continued to cry in front of her.

Sparks flew out of her wand and he froze.

"I know you probably don't care or it might not make a difference, but the person you've been… who has been hurting you... that's not me. I mean, it is, but I wasn't in control" he said.

"Don't you think I know that? I knew the second time you did that to me… It doesn't mean that you're not the epitome of what happened to me. You're the poster child for my torment, Malfoy" she spat, now edging around the nurse's station to put a barrier between them.

He looked completely broken. Lost. Like a child who had no place to go. He looked around and she was confused by what he was doing, but when he grabbed a syringe from a nearby trolley, she left towards him, shoving him to the floor and knocking it to the ground.

"Granger, what are you doing? I need to die. I don't deserve to live, get off me, let me do this" he said, as she placed all of her weight on his body. Something about the way she had control over the situation gave her a sense of power and fearlessness. Here he was, the absolute face of her rape and torture, sobbing underneath her, while she held him down.

"What would your wife say? I bet she's not ready to be a widow?" she asked.

"Astoria? She's dead" he said, stopping his struggle for freedom

She slid off him and sat with her back against the wall, as patients came to their doors to see what was going on.

The fear that had so deeply penetrated her only minutes before, was replaced by a sense of power and dominance. She was in control here. He was wandless and she was not. The only thing that could hurt her was her own fears, and she had decided, in that moment, not to allow it to happen.

"Let it go Malfoy" she said.

"But…"

"Let it go. You wouldn't have done it if you had been in control of your actions. The fact that you're here and not in Azkaban is proof of that" she said, realising that he truly was just as much a victim as she had been.

"I don't understand" he said.

"I forgive you" she said, causing fresh tears to fall from his eyes.

"You… that means a lot" he said.

"It does. So don't ever take it for granted" she said.

"What can I do?" he asked. "To make it right" he said.

"Just live, Malfoy. Help send the scumbags who _had_ a choice to Azkaban and do something great with your life" she said.

"I can do that" he said.


	3. Chapter 3

In the light of day, Hermione was feeling completely herself again. She had a bouce in her step and she was happy and confident. She got up and was dressed before breakfast, eager to leave this place and move on from what had happened.

When Harry and Ron arrived, they were surprised to see her out of bed and smiling.

"Who are you and what happened to Hermione?" Harry asked.

"It's great to see you both. I'm leaving today. I can't wait to get out and enjoy some sunlight" she said.

"What happened? Yesterday you were basically bed ridden and the idea of leaving scared you senseless" Ron said.

"Well… Don't get mad. Last night I sort of had a run in with Malfoy" she said.

"I knew that was going to happen when they moved you to the mental health ward. I'm going to make a formal complaint and…" Ron said.

"Ron, listen. It was ok. He is as messed up about this as I have been. He is as much a victim as me. The guilt that he carries is tremendous… So I forgave him" she said.

"Just like that? He hurt you Hermione. He _forced_ himself on you" Ron said.

"I know. Trust me, I know… But he wasn't in control, was he? They've proven it. The death eaters who were there have all been captured or killed, so now it's just time to move on. I don't want to wallow in being the victim anymore. I want to move on with my life. I spent 41 days in that hell and another week here. I need to be free. I need to _feel_ free" she said.

"I'll go speak to a nurse" Ron said.

"Actually… Harry, would you?" she asked, causing he and Ron to look at each other in confusion.

"Uh, ok, sure" he said, and he left the room.

"Glad to finally get you alone" she said, moving towards Ron.

"What… what do you mean?" He asked.

"The other day when you tried to help me, and I asked you not to touch me. I… It was so soon after what had happened. I'm sorry" she said.

"Don't worry about it Hermione" he said.

"But then, when you told me about Fred, and I hugged you, I felt something warm inside. Like, maybe, hope?" she said.

Ron just looked to Hermione, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"I know that we've always had this, thing… between us, and I want to try and see if we can make it into something more" she said, feeling awkward.

Ron continued looking to her as though she was speaking another language.

"Do you want to?" she asked.

"Do I want to? Of course, I want to" he said, smiling his smile that had always made her a little fuzzy.

"It might take some time… for me… but I don't want to throw something away that I know has always felt right" she said.

"I've got time, Hermione. I have loads of it. You'll need to help me, I mean, I want to kiss you so bad right now, but I don't want to freak you out" he said.

Hermione was now the one looking at Ron as though he was speaking another language. His ears were red, and he was looking at the floor, but the fact that he was willing to wait for her and wanted her to be ok with it all made her want to kiss him too.

She closed the space between them and stood directly in front of him. He was taller than she remembered, or she just hadn't been this close to him before. She could feel the warmth radiating off his body and she wanted to put her hands on him, so she did. She placed her hands on his chest, and moved them to his shoulders, where she held him and pulled him down to her.

When his lips met hers, she almost melted into him. He was heaven and honey and everything that she needed all rolled into one. Kissing, yes, she could do this.

Her hands found his hair and his found her lower back. She kissed him as though he was air and she was drowning. She needed this. She hungered for this. It was years in the making, yet she hadn't realised till recently that its exactly what she wanted. Now, she couldn't imagine being without it.

They were drawn apart by Harry clearing his throat in the doorway.

"I guess that answers that question" he said, looking between the two of them.

"Which question is that?" she asked.

"How long it would take the two of you to figure this out" he said. "I was going to give it a couple of months at least" he added.

"Now all _you_ need to do, Harry, is stop stringing Ginny along" Hermione said.

"Yeah, well, that's complicated. I broke it off with her to keep her safe" he said.

"Yes, and now that safety isn't a concern…." Hermione said.

"Just not that simple. She won't forgive me" he said.

"Have you seen how she looks at you? She's my sister, but I'm not blind. Plus, you're both miserable" Ron said, linking his hand with Hermione's.

"Anyway, here's your paperwork, you've been discharged" he said.

"Great. So we can leave?" she asked.

Harry nodded and Ron picked up the travel bag that had been brought in.

"Hang on, where am I going? I mean… My parents are still in Australia, it hardly seems appropriate for me to stay at the Burrow" she said.

"Why not?" Ron asked.

"Because, we can't live together" she said.

"Absolutely zero logic behind that" Ron said.

"You can come live at Grimmauld Place with me. I've had Kreacher cleaning it up for months now. It's almost completely unrecognisable" Harry said.

"What about living at the Burrow?" Ron butted in, fearing his best friend was leaving him. Harry just glared at him.

"What about Mrs Black?" Hermione asked.

"Well, when I gave Kreacher his own space , I suggested that he take her there so he can talk to her whenever he pleases" Harry said.

"And that worked?" she asked.

"First time" Harry said.

"We tried everything with that sticking charm" Ron pouted.

"And when are you going to learn, Ron, that Elf magic is different to wizarding magic?" Hermione asked.

"Probably never" he said, smiling at his girlfriend.

"Right you are" she said. "Thank you Harry, I would love to move to Grimmauld Place with you" she said.

After a quick drawing of Hermione's blood for conclusive tests, the three of them flood to Grimmauld place, which, to Hermione, was completely unrecognisable.

"When you said you had Kreachure cleaning it up, I didn't realise you completely renovated and made over the entire house" she said, stepping out of the fireplace and walking through the main living room. The space had been completely cleared out, al the dark aspects were gone, replaced with while walls and modern furniture.

She made her way down to the kitchen and noticed that it had been changed too. There were clearly still aspects of wizarding ways, but it was more modern now than any wizarding abode she had ever seen.

She turned and made her way up the stairs, stopping on the first floor to look into Sirius's room, which was much the same, and then into Regulus's room, which had been completely changed.

"That will be your room" Harry said, indicating to the new room.

"It's perfect" she said.

"I haven't worked to what to do with Sirius's room yet. I don't have the heart to tear it down" Harry said.

"So don't. Leave it till you're ready" she said.

He smiled at her and showed her the rest of the house, which consisted of various bathrooms, guest rooms, a library and Kreacher's room, which she approved of. The entire house was new and improved. She would never have guessed it had once been the ancient and most noble house of black the last time she was here.

()()()

Hermione found an easy new routine over the next few days. She would wake, shower, dress, eat, read, eat, read some more and eat some more then shower, read and sleep.

Ron came by and sat with her while she read and occasionally, they would kiss, which Hermione thought was nice. She had to instigate it every time, as Ron was too afraid to do something she didn't want, but for now, she thought that was ok.

Fred's funeral was quite an affair. It was held in the Weasley plot at the back of the grounds of the Burrow and, while it was sad, it was quite a celebration of his life, rather than morning his absence. George created the fireworks and set the scene, but Hermione could tell his heart just wasn't in it.

People tended to avoid Hermione, for fear that they might say or do something wrong. She guessed she would just be the poor girl who was raped and tortured for the sake of the war. She wasn't going to wear a label, so she made an extra effort to talk to those who she knew, and some she didn't.

The funeral and the wake continued on into the night, with a bonfire being lit and the Weasleys sitting around sharing stories of the war months.

"I remember seeing a completely devastated Ron at the Leaky Cauldron, trying to hide. Stupid git" Bill said.

"Yeah, and you took me home and made me stay there" Ron said.

"Well, you could have left anytime you wanted to" Bill said.

"And get caught by snatchers, no thanks" Ron said.

"Well, imagine our surprise when you just disappeared one night. Back to fight, we assumed" Bill said.

"I came back" Ron said.

Hermione listened to the banter between the brothers go on. She wanted to join in but didn't want to continue being the victim. She wanted to be stronger from the things she experienced, but at the same time, she felt a strong need to tell her story. To make them all understand.

She wrapped her arm around Ron's bicep, which, she found, was quite muscular.

"I was taken by some snatchers… To Malfoy manor" she said, when there was a lull in conversation. "It was bizarre. Malfoy knew who I was but tried not to let on that he knew. Of course, they found out. The sword was in my bag. Bellatrix was furious and, well, that's how I got this…" she pulled her black sleeve up and revealed the word mudblood carved into her arm. It shone in the light of the fire and she heard a few of the Weasleys gasp. "She crucio'd me and took me almost to breaking point. I thought I was going to die…" she continued, staring into the fire… "I wanted to die. I didn't think it could get much worse from there. I don't even know who it was, but someone took me to… I guess it was a cellar. I called it the dungeon. It felt like it. It had stone walls, and everything was damp. After a couple of days, I got a bed and a mattress. I figured at that point I'd be staying there for a while. I got fed their table scraps and I used chicken bones to carve a tally into the wall beside the bed, which was actually like a rock type surface. It was pretty dark in there; I didn't see much of anything till a few weeks in. A death eater brought me some food and told me to be prepared. I had no idea what that meant… I thought I was going somewhere…" she went on. The entire Weasley family listened on in interest. Molly was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief and Ginny was sitting by her side, holding her hand, while Ron sat tall on her other side.

"Anyway, when Malfoy arrived, I was sort of glad. Even though he was someone I always hated, it felt good to see a familiar face. That didn't last though, because he then told me that Voldemort wanted me to have a child. So, he… well, you can imagine, I guess. You all know what happened anyway, but it was Malfoy who was the first. He wasn't nice about it either, but what I didn't realise, was that in comparison to the ones who came by every day after him, Malfoy was a saint. Some of them only visited once, some visited a few times. I was beaten pretty badly, just for existing. I don't know any of their names, but I'd know their faces if I ever saw them. One of them… he liked to choke me. At first it was just till I started turning blue, but then he'd choke me till I passed out. I'd wake up hours later on the cold floor, blood dripping from a gash in my head or wherever. After a while, Malfoy would try and talk to me. He told me once that he was imperiorised but I yelled at him. I didn't care at that point. All I knew was that I was there against my will. He told me he had a wife who was unable to conceive a child, but again, I couldn't care less if I tried. After a particularly brutal experience with one of the more cruel death eaters, Malfoy changed. He tried talking to me, tried reasoning with me. I had given up at that point. I just zoned out and let it happen. If I fought, it was always going to be worse…" she went on. She was not going to tell them that Malfoy had made her orgasm, as she was still not sure what that all had meant herself.

The more of her story she told, the more freeing it felt, so she went on.

"He told me one day that it would only be him from them on. That Voldemort needed Malfoy to have an heir and I would give him one and he could pretend that it was his wife's baby. I told him that if he wanted me to go along with it any longer, I would comply, I would just let him do what he needed to do, but I wanted to be moved out of there. I was so mad at him. I yelled at him and told him to leave, and he did. I didn't see anyone else for 5 days. I was starving, and when he came back, I was too weak to do anything. That's all I remember. I sort of remember being moved and a soft blanket underneath me, but all I remember is just being so hungry in those last few days. So hungry and completely defeated. I was ready to give up. I thought about how I could die, but there wasn't anything I could do. I realised that that was my life. I would have his child and give it to him and his wife to raise and the rest would be determined by fate" she said. "And then I woke up hearing Molly's voice and it was like a dream" she finished.

"'Ermione, I'm so sorree that 'appened to you" Fleur said from across the fire as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Ron simply placed his arm around her and pulled her tighter to him.

"I thought I'd be ruined forever. When I was in the hospital and Ron leant close to me just to try and fix my pillow, I freaked out. I thought that I wouldn't be able to have someone near me ever again. But then, something weird happened. I came face to face with Malfoy and he was just as afraid as I was. He was just as broken, just as used, just as messy. He tried to kill himself that night, but I stopped him. I wanted him to live, not so that he would always know what he did to me, but so that I could forgive him. And I did. And if he was here now, I would still forgive him, because it wasn't his fault" she said.

"You're a much braver woman that I would be" Ginny said after a while when the large group began having smaller conversations again.

"No, Gin, I think you'd have fought harder" Hermione said.

"I think I've run _out_ of fight, Hermione" Ginny said sadly, looking briefly across the fire at Harry, who was still ignoring her.

"Not possible. If you know what you want, what you deserve, what you need, never stop fighting. I gave up towards the end and that was a mistake. I almost lost a part of myself that might not have returned. Never give up. Chase your dreams, your freedom, your happiness or whatever it is you feel like you deserve" she said, looking around at all of them now.

"If it gets pulled out from under you, you will regret not grabbing what you have with two hands and holding onto it" she said, leaning her head on Ron's shoulder.

As the night wore on and the Weasleys dispersed to their rooms, Hermione approached Harry and slapped him hard on the chest.

"Ouch, what was that for?" He asked.

"Stop ignoring Ginny. She is hurting and she needs you" Hermione said.

"It's not that…." He began.

"Simple? Yes, it is. It is simple. Go to her, beg for her to take you back, snog her and it will all be great again" she said.

Harry looked from Hermione, across the yard to where Ginny was poking the remnants of the fire with a stick.

"She shouldn't forgive me. I left her. I abandoned her" he said quietly.

"Seize the day Harry Potter. She's loved you forever, but unless you do something now, she's not going to stick around. Go to her" she said, stepping aside and giving Harry and shove in Ginny's direction.

She watched as Harry walked to Ginny, not looking up from the grass. The two of them stood side by side, poking at the fire as Harry seemed to be talking. After a few minutes, Ginny looked up into Harry's face and smiled. Ron approached Hermione and placed his arm around her. An action that she had declared completely ok.

"Watch" Hermione said, as Harry turned to face Ginny. They couldn't hear what was happening, but watching it was like watching a silent movie. Ginny took a step towards Harry and grabbed him fiercely by the shirt, bringing him to her and kissing him roughly. Hermione hadn't expected it, but it was good to see that they had some passion left in them.

"You wanted me to watch that?" Ron asked her.

"Yeah, well, I thought it would be sweet. Didn't expect that" she said, turning slightly so she could be encased in both of Ron's arms. One of the only places she felt completely safe.

"You did great tonight. You didn't have to tell everyone what happened, but it was very brave" he said.

"I think I had to. I had to tell my story" she said.

Ron leant down and kissed her on the forehead. They hadn't snogged properly since the hospital and now, by the fire, Hermione wanted nothing more.

"It's not who I am anymore" she said, looking into Ron's eyes and leaning up on her toes to meet his lips with hers.

After an intense snogging session, where Hermione was rendered breathless, but in the best kind of way, she pulled away from him slightly.

"I would really like it if you would come home with me tonight" she said.

Ron hesitated, fear on his face as plainly as if he had written it there in ink.

"I… uh… Is that…" he stammered.

"Merlin, I think it would be nice to just lay beside you. You make me feel safe Ron. Safe and warm. That's all I'm asking" she said, wondering how she might ever have the conversation about sex with him. She had no idea how her subconscious would react, should the occasion ever present itself, but she was sure that the way she was going it would be soon.

"Ok, I'll do that" he said. "Ginny, tell mum that I'm staying at Harrys" he called to Ginny, who was still wrapped up in Harry's arms.

"I don't know if she got that message" Hermione said, as they walked to the gate of the burrow together.

()()()

As they lay in Hermione's king size bed, Hermione in her flannel pyjamas and Ron in a pair of Harry's pants, Hermione couldn't feel more at ease. She lay in the crook of Ron's arm as she toyed with the small spattering of blonde hair that littered his chest.

They had snogged in the living room on the couch, in the kitchen while making cups of tea and in the bed, while lying beside one another.

"I don't ever want you to feel like you have to do anything you don't want to do. Until the day you say you want to, this is all I ever need" Ron said, running his hand across her back and staring at the ceiling.

She was completely overcome by how sensitive Ron was. The old selfish inconsiderate childish Ron was gone, somehow replaced by this man, who wanted nothing more than to make Hermione feel ok. Ok to be here with him, ok to simply exist however she needed to exist after what had happened to her. He had kissed her, more passionately than anyone had kissed her before and she knew that he had reacted to it, but as much as he had, he hadn't so far as let her think that he was so aroused.

The strangest thing was, in that moment, her heart began beating fast and her mind started to wonder what it would be like to actually be with someone, properly.

"Ron, I know I said that I just wanted to lay, but… if you wanted to, I think I'd like to try… you know" she said, leaning up slightly and looking into his eyes. He was afraid. Then again, so was she.

"Hermione, I want to, don't get me wrong, but is it not too soon? For you?" he asked.

"I have never felt safer than I do when you're with me. I feel myself falling for you in ways that I can't even begin to explain. I think if I'm ever going to get past what happened, I need to replace those memories with good ones" she said.

Ron looked at her, seemingly puzzled by what she was saying. She could see his brain working at such great speed that she was sure he may explode soon.

"Ok" he said.

"Ok?" she asked.

"The second that you're not ok, we're stopping" he said.

"Ok" she said, her heart beating into her throat.

He moved to kiss her again, now, taking the chance to run his hand up the front of her pyjamas.

His touch as like fire but in the best way, as he caressed her breast. She arched herself against him, eager for his touch. Desperate, almost.

Ron rolled so that she was underneath him and he was hovering above her. For the briefest of moments, the image of a sweaty dark-haired man loomed over her, but she pushed it away and kissed Ron again. She unbuttoned her top and discarded it onto he floor, while he allowed himself the opportunity to gaze at her.

"You're the most incredibly beautiful creature I have ever seen" he said, looking into her eyes, into her fractured soul, as he did.

"I love you Ron" she said.

"I've loved you forever" he said back, as he kissed her again, moving to her neck.

She removed her pants with one hand and wondered how this all worked, now that she had capacity to control it. She had heard about foreplay and knew that she didn't just want to get into it, so while Ron was busy trailing kisses down her sternum, she took his erection in her hand and started moving her hand back and forth.

The feeling of control and confidence she got when she heard his sharp intake of breath was invigorating and she found a warmth building between her thighs.

"Touch me" she said to him, as she continued stroking him.

His free hand slid down the length of her body towards the part of her that had, until now, only ever been abused.

When his hand reached its destination, he hesitated.

"I… Don't really know what to do" he said.

"That makes two of us" she said, guiding his hand to the place she recalled having given her pleasure when it was touched by Malfoy. The thought almost made her want to stop, but when Ron's hand brushed against it, his warmth, his safety, his security, made her forget about the past.

"There. Just rub there" she said, directing him to that sensitive spot. He did as instructed and soon, she was panting. She took his hand and guided it down, easing one of his long fingers inside of her. She was in control. She had the power. She was taking the lead on this and she felt so incredibly powerful.

Gone were the misgivings that sex could never be good or enjoyable. Ron was doing things to her that she loved and if this was sex, she needed it.

He seemed to build a rhythm that had her moaning for more. She didn't want him to stop, but at the same time, she wanted more. She needed more. She pressed gently against Ron's chest forcing him to lay back on the bed. She put a leg over him, so she was straddling him and with his erection in her hand, eased herself onto it. It took a moment for her to think of what to do. Ron had his eyes closed, hissing a breath through his teeth. She knew it wouldn't be long. She started moving so that the sensitive part of her rubbed against him and within moments, she felt the build.

Ron's hands reached up and cupped her breasts, which had grown a whole cup size since leaving the hospital. She was grinding herself against him, letting out moans of pleasure as she felt the impending surge of pleasure. Ron took a nipple between his thumb and finger and pinched it, sending a wave of electricity coursing through her body down to where they were joined and Hermione came undone with a wave of pleasure that sent them both spiralling into a pleasurable abyss.

She opened her eyes to find that she had collapsed on top of him. She looked up to see him staring back down at her.

"Hey" he said.

"Was I asleep?" she asked.

"For a few minutes" he said, stroking her hair.

No one spoke for a while, but Hermine continued to lay on him where she felt comfortable.

"Was that ok?" he asked. She saw the concern on his face when she looked at him again

She kissed him and smiled as she looked into his face

"That was more than ok" she said.

"That was more than ok for me too" he said

"I… I didn't know it could be like that" she said, rolling and laying on her side, still half wrapped around him.

"I just hope I was ok" he said. "I think I got a little bit carried away at the end" he said, looking at the ceiling.

"No, that was good. I liked that. I… It was all really good Ron. Thank you" she said.

"You're thanking me?" he asked laughing.

"Well, yeah. You were considerate and understanding and you held back until I enjoyed myself" she said.

"Well, you certainly made it difficult. I mean… I didn't know that… well, there's a lot I didn't know. You feel… There aren't words. Honestly" he said.

"I like this. I like that we and lay here and talk about it" she said.

"Me too" he said, stroking her bare shoulder. After a while he spoke again… "Hermione…?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she hummed, half asleep

"I meant what I said. I am in love with you. I've been in love with you for so long" he said.

"I love you too Ron" she said. Closing her eyes and curling up beside him.

()()()

The next week was a blur to Hermione. She travelled to Australia with Ron and tracked down her parents, who, once their memory was restored, refused to return to England. They had set up a great life there and, once Hermione agreed to visit often, they parted ways. She didn't tell them what happened to her. She didn't really feel close to them. Besides, she had now almost completely put it behind her.

She still had nightmares and still occasionally saw the faces of the death eaters in front of her when she closed her eyes, but Ron was helping her with that. They had become addicted to sex. To the feeling that comes with being that close to someone, that intimate. After the first time, they did it again the next day, to check if it was a fluke the first time, but it was better than the first. The third time was best two out of three, which happened to beat them both and the fourth time was just for fun. Every time after that was different and pleasurable and fun.

When Ron wanted to perform oral sex on her, she hesitated, but allowed him to. It turned out to be a mistake, as the flashbacks that came with the build of pleasure were too overwhelming. She didn't know what it was about that particular arrangement that sent her over the edge. Perhaps it was that she couldn't see him or couldn't feel him. She needed to have Ron close to her, she needed his comfort and his warmth. As long as he was there, she was safe.

A month after she had been freed from the Manor, an owl delivered her a letter requesting she attend St Mungo's for a follow up.

Ron accompanied her, as he did wherever she went and sat with her while they conducted routine tests.

"Well, Miss Granger it seems like you're doing really well. Mentally and physically" the healer said.

"That's great. I'm just so eager to move on with my life now. I want to put it all behind me" she said.

"Well, there's one more thing. When you were discharged, we took a sample of your blood, to test for things that might not have appeared in the first test" the healer said.

Hermione's stomach dropped.

"Your pregnancy test had come back positive" he said.

Tears flooded her eyes and fear invaded her every nerve. She was back at day one after her freedom. The walls felt like they were closing in and the very air she was breathing was trying to strangle her.

"Are you certain?" she vaguely heard Ron ask.

"Yes" the healer responded.

"But… I was getting my life back. I wasn't… it wasn't… He told me I wasn't. Then there was only him… after that… so…" she stuttered.

"There are things we can do, Miss Granger. Measures we can take. Ordinarily, we wouldn't discuss it, but abortion is an option here" he said.

"Abortion? I… I don't think I could. I couldn't do that" she cried.

"Well… we can perform some tests to see… I mean, to determine the, uh, the biology… of the child" the healer said.

"I was tested when I was out cold. I wasn't pregnant. Then there was only Malfoy after that" she said.

Ron's face and ears burnt red.

"It's not his fault. We established that" she said.

"Well, Mr Malfoy is here, still" the healer said.

"He's here?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, he's had quite a difficult road to recovery. Very complex mind charms" the healer said.

"He needs to know. I… I can't keep this a secret" she said.

"And where do we fit into this?" Ron asked.

"Well, it's not going to be easy, but, Ron, I love you, and you love me. We can still be together' she said.

"And raise a baby that's not mine?" he asked.

"Yes. And raise a baby that's not yours" she spat. "I didn't ask for this. I don't like it any more than you do, but there is a child growing inside of me and we just have to deal with it" she said.

"You're right, I'm sorry. You didn't ask for this" he said.

"Can we see him? Malfoy?" she asked the healer.

"Is that wise?" he asked.

"If he's as fragile as you say, perhaps the idea of an heir will help him discover meaning in his life?" she said.

"Or increase his guilt?" Ron asked.

"We can only hope that it will do some good" the healer said, opening the door and leading the way.

Hermione followed him down the hall, hand in hand with Ron, who, as always, kept her safe just by being there.

They came to a door and the healer knocked on it gently.

"Come in" Malfoys quiet voice answered.

"Mr Malfoy, you have some visitors" the healer said.

He looked up from a muggle puzzle he was in the final stages of completing, and his eyes widened when he saw Hermione and Ron standing in his doorway.

"What are you… I mean… is there something I can help you with?" he asked.

"How are you?" she asked, feeling rather complex emotions looking down at the person who had abused her multiple times, albeit against his will, but nevertheless.

"I'm getting there" he said.

"I uh… I have something I need to tell you" she said.

Malfoy stood. "I thought you would have gotten lucky. You weren't pregnant in that last week" he said.

"You guessed?" she asked.

"There's only one reason you would approach me and that is to tell me that you're pregnant. Am I right?" he asked.

"Yes" she said.

"So what are your plans for this abomination?" he asked, standing and walking over to the nearby window.

"I don't think it's an abomination Malfoy. Its half Hermione" Ron said.

"You're right Weasley" he said, narrowing his eyes at him. "This mistake, this accident, this creature created from abuse and torture" he said.

"I can't have an… I can't get rid of it. No matter the circumstances. I couldn't live with myself" she said.

"And adoption… Is that out of the question?" Malfoy asked.

"Absolutely" she said.

"So you're going to raise it then?" he asked.

"Yes. With your input" she said, his eyes widening.

"What do you want my input for?" he asked.

"This is the Malfoy heir. It doesn't matter that _he_ or _she_ was created against _both_ of our will, the fact is, it exists, and it needs to be cared for. To be… loved. Besides, your wife can not conceive a child. This is you chance to have someone carry on the Malfoy line" she said, glaring at him.

"It's a mistake. My wife is dead. They killed her. This is all a mistake" he said not looking at her.

She stormed over to where he stood and grabbed his face in her two hands. "You listen to me… I don't like this. As much as you hate this, I hate it more. I have finally begun to get my life back on track and then I am slapped in the face with having to bear the child of my unwilling abuser. Nothing is ever how we want it to be Malfoy, but we roll with the things we are given. Life is short and you need to embrace this child, because if you don't, you'll just be a person that he or she slightly resembles and for me, that will be far worse than having to have you involved in our lives" she said.

Malfoy stood for a moment with Hermione holding his face in her hands. He was scared.

"It doesn't matter what we tell ourselves, this child will forever be a sign of what I did to you" he said, pulling away from her grasp.

"No, Malfoy, I don't think it will. I will never forget what happened to me, but I will remember that you were the one who, despite being there against your will, tried your best to make things less horrible for me" she said, feeling the disgust in her own mind at trying to justify him raping her by pointing out that he simply did it less brutally than the others.

"I… ", he began.

"Look, we're never going to get anywhere with this. I suggest you do what you need to do to get right with this and owl me. I'll keep you informed about all major check ups and scans and you can either be there, or not be there" she said, before giving him a stern look that McGonagall would be proud of, turning on her heel and walking out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Three months had passed, and she was yet to hear from Malfoy. She had been offered a place at Hogwarts to complete her NEWTS, but somehow, that all seemed so insignificant to her now. She had begun working with George in Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, which was really beginning to take off. With her life now a perfect kind of normal, she couldn't think of anything worse than returning to Hogwarts.

She attended each of her scheduled appointments with her mind healer for follow up and she was now deemed to be satisfactorily stable. This was an important milestone, as she was now able to testify at the trials of her abusers. This included Draco Malfoy.

The morning of the marathon trial arrived faster than she had hoped, and as she checked herself over in the entry way to Grimmauld place before leaving, she felt that she had a strong grasp on her sense of wellbeing.

She knew and very much expected that confronting the evil beings that did these things to her would be like opening a wound that had just begun to heal, but it had to be done and she had practised techniques in her mind to avoid psychological harm.

Ron took her arm and from the front step, they disapparated to the ministry of magic.

The hustle and bustle was less chaotic than it had been when they attended to obtain the locket. It felt like a lifetime ago now. So much had changed, including the ministry itself. It was now governed by Kingsley Shacklebolt, who fought for peace and punished wrongdoers severely.

They made their way to the courtroom where she was told the proceeding would take place, and entered, taking a seat in the gallery. She could think of nothing else other than getting this over and done with.

Before long, the Wizengamot called the proceedings to order and they began.

The charges against the many death eaters and supporters were read out and Hermione was stunned to hear how many charged were being laid.

They were numerous and the list of offenders took up a whole page.

The lies that Narcissa spat made Hermione sick to her stomach, but at the end, the members of the Wizengamot believed Hermione over her and sentenced Narcissa to 20 years in Azkaban.

Lucius was questioned next and his actions, not committed out of fear or by force, landed him in Azkaban for life.

Hermione became concerned when 10 death eaters were questioned, and Malfoy still hadn't been brought in.

Just seeing the faces of the death eaters who had raped and beaten her made her want to curse them, but she held her composure, indicating her confirmation or disgust at their statements.

The death eaters who purely came into the dungeon, raped her, and left were given 15 years each, while the ones who beat her, were given 40.

At the very end, Malfoy was brought in and questioned. What Hermione thought was odd, was that he was brought in by Aurors at wandpoint. She now realised that the reason she hadn't heard from him was because he had been in Azkaban, following his release from Hospital.

"Mr Malfoy, from what you've said, it seems like you are among the torturers who abused Miss Granger the most" the questioning Auror said.

"I am" he said.

"So why should lenience be shown to you and only to you?" he was asked.

"Because I was under the imperious. I did what I could to cause as least amount of harm to her as possible. I sought a room for her and then as soon as the imperious wore off, I apparated through wards, risking my own life to get her out and to the hospital" he said. "It doesn't mean that I don't deserve to be punished, but just know that I punish myself every day for what I have done" he added.

The day had drawn on and on. The questioning of the death eaters had taken its toll on Hermione and when it came to her turn to be questioned, she almost refused. At the end, she brought the truth out of the lies, confirmed the ones who spoke the truth and requested leniency be taken on Malfoy. She explained how, despite having taken her virginity by force, he was just as much a victim as she was and male sexual assault was just as horrific as female sexual assault. She expressed her disgust at his imprisonment and requested that he be released immediately.

After only a few minutes of deliberation, the members of the Wizengamot declared Malfoy free from all charges and provided him with an official apology for having him imprisoned.

Hermione was awarded a hefty sum of money as compensation for what had happened to her, despite Narcissa and Lucius having been forced to pay as well. At this point, Hermione could live a luxurious life and never have to work, but that's not what she wanted.

She loved working at the shop and decided that she would stay there until the baby was born.

()()()

As soon as he was released, Draco burnt down the Manor and sold the land off in pieces.

In the weeks that followed, Ron proposed to Hermione, which she happily accepted, and they moved into a cottage in Hogsmeade where Ron was due to open his own franchise of WWW.

Draco had been in touch weekly, regarding the baby. He met with Hermione and Ron and they discussed plans to raise the child together. There was very little arguments and Draco was just happy to be involved any way he could. As time went on, Draco's sense of worth returned to him. He no longer spoke of the guilt, but expressed a desire to do good, so he opened a support charity for sexual assault survivors and studied the law part time. He was determined to open his own law firm, which Ron and Hermione fully supported.

When Cassius Malfoy was born, Hermione instantly fell in love with the blonde-haired baby and the memories of how he was conceived were just a distant memory.

Hermione and Ron married in a quiet ceremony at The Burrow shortly afterwards, while Draco held his son from the first row.

It was a strange arrangement, but one that had come from pain and torment and ended with love, happiness and family.

Hermione was a survivor.

()()()

**Thanks for reading. This was a story that came to me in a dream. Or a nightmare, I', not sure. I thought about writing it for the longest time and once i started, i couldn't stop. It took me 2 days to finish the first three chapters but this one has taken a little longer. I lost passion for the story once it had reached a certain point (even thought its quite short) and i just wanted to get it done. Hence why the ending feels rushed. **

**I want to make a sequel to it eventually, i have an idea that i think would be really interesting. We'll see. Don't hold your breath though. **

**So once again, thanks for reading another episode of "So O think I'm a fanfic writer". **


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